Winners shine through at inaugural New Forest open art competition

Published Monday 5 August 2013

Barry Peckham’s oil painting ‘Brambles at Denny Wood’ is the winner of the inaugural Exxon Mobil at the Fawley Refinery Open Art competition.

Run by the New Forest National Park Authority and the New Forest Centre in Lyndhurst, Sandra Binney’s watercolour and ink work entitled Devotion came second while Rita Brown’s Drift, in acrylic and Chinese ink, was placed third.

The results were announced at a preview evening at the New Forest Centre in Lyndhurst where the free public exhibition of the competition entries is on show until Saturday 7 September. Visitors are also able to buy selected artworks.

New Forest Centre Manager Hilary Marshall said: ‘This is the first joint open art competition we've run and we've been overwhelmed by the response. Not only did we have a tremendous number of pieces of artwork but it was all of an incredibly high standard.

‘There really is a wealth of artistic talent in the Forest and surrounding areas.’

New Forest National Park Authority Chief Executive Alison Barnes said: ‘The New Forest, with its mosaic of heathland, woodland, and coast has inspired a wealth of artists going back hundreds of years. It is fantastic to see that tradition continue with such a wide range of work created here and we hope it will bring out the artistic side in others and encourage people to explore this incredible landscape for themselves .’

The competition, which opened for submissions in May, was sponsored by Exxon Mobil at the Fawley Refinery which provided the prize funds - £500 for the winner, £300 for second and £100 for third – and by Park Culture magazine which provided a £100 People’s Prize and a feature in the magazine.

The People’s Prize will be awarded to the artist who created the work that gets the most votes during the public exhibition. Visitors will be encouraged to post their votes for their favourite work of art in a ballot box.

There were two runners-up – Kate Charman’s mixed media piece Snow on the Pines and Maureen Davies with her mixed media work called Shadows in the Snow.

Nigel Burt, Community Affairs Manager at ExxonMobil at the Fawley Refinery, said: ‘I know from first-hand experience the astonishing artistic talent that the New Forest is home to and that has been clear to see from the exceptionally high standard of entries for this competition.’

Pictured left to right at the Open Art exhibition preview evening: New Forest Centre Manager Hilary Marshall; open art competition winner Barry Peckham with his oil painting 'Brambles at Denny Wood'; Nigel Burt, Community Affairs Manager with competition sponsor ExxonMobil at Fawley; New Forest National Park Chief Executive Alison Barnes.

Further images of the competition winners and artwork are available.

About the New Forest National Park Authority

Protect - Enjoy - Prosper

The New Forest National Park Authority’s statutory purposes are to:

Conserve and enhance the natural beauty, wildlife and cultural heritage of the Park - Protect

Promote opportunities for understanding and enjoyment of its special qualities – Enjoy.

We also have a duty to:

Seek to foster the social and economic well-being of local communities within the Park – Prosper.

The New Forest National Park was designated in March 2005. Its
unique landscape has been shaped over the centuries by grazing ponies,
cattle and pigs which roam free. Majestic woodlands, rare heathland and a
spectacular coastline provide fabulous opportunities for quiet
recreation, enjoyment and discovery.